Experience report hair transplantation in Istanbul – Report from Wednesday, 28 December 2016
I am 52 years old and have been considering the matter for about two or three years, as I already had quite noticeable receding temples. However, I wasn’t sure whether to go through with it, as on one hand I was afraid of surgery, and on the other hand I was apprehensive about the period after the operation with a shaved bald head.
Eventually, the point came where I decided to look for a provider for the transplantation in Istanbul. Of course, there are countless providers online, some more reputable, others less so. But it is very difficult to find the right one if you don’t know people who have already undergone the procedure. There is also a German online forum that discusses the topic, but whether the comments there are truly unbiased is also questionable.
Well, for me it was clear that I wanted a provider from Switzerland, or perhaps Germany. MedicalTravel responded very promptly to my inquiry and suggested that I attend an information session in Zug, where I could meet the Turkish doctor in person and ask him questions. This was decisive for me, as it gave me a good feeling that the operation would go well.
Unfortunately, this doctor resigned one month before my operation date, so MedicalTravel had to suggest a new doctor. Well – that wasn’t ideal, but there was nothing MedicalTravel could do about it.
On 21 December 2016, I flew to Istanbul with my friend and, as promised, was picked up at the airport and taken to the hospital. That moment felt a little strange, as I had assumed the caretaker would be waiting for us. I had to tell the reception that I had an appointment with them. They then called someone, and handed me the phone. The person spoke English, which fortunately wasn’t a problem for me, and arrived at the reception within a minute. She then guided us to the doctor, who explained the operation in English. After that, we went to a lovely hotel about 200 metres away.
The next morning, we had to be at the hospital by 8:00 for the blood tests, which were done very painlessly. Then we had breakfast in the cafeteria, and by 9:30 we were already in the professional operating room. There, two new doctors were waiting for us, who went over the entire procedure with us once again.
Then it was time to put on an operating gown and have my hair cut – unfortunately, all of it. At first, I thought not all the hair needed to be removed, but the doctor convincingly explained that the work would be easier and more precise, and that wound care afterwards would also be much simpler if all the hair was just 2 millimetres long.
My biggest fear was the local anaesthetic injections, first in the neck for the harvesting, then in the recipient area, the forehead. But the doctor did this excellently! You can feel it, but it is definitely bearable – she did a fantastic job! The harvesting took two hours – about 45 minutes to prepare the recipient area, and another two hours for the implantation. In total, I had 3,000 grafts. I was pleasantly surprised, as at first they said I would need about 2,000 grafts, but they continue until they believe the result will be perfect, which for me meant 3,000 grafts. And the best part: all without extra cost!
Afterwards, we were picked up by a driver again and taken the 200 metres to the hotel. We then had dinner delivered to our hotel room.
The next morning, at 11:30, I went for the follow-up examination with the first doctor, who immediately changed my bandage and again provided instructions on taking the antibiotics and using the lotion and shampoo.
And at 16:00, our driver was already waiting in front of the hotel to take us to the airport. By the way, I can highly recommend flying with Turkish Airlines – far better than Swiss – and I’ve flown a lot.
All in all, a successful trip and compliments to MedicalTravel, who organised everything very well and were always quick to respond to questions via SMS even after the trip!
Stefan Dutwyler